Columbia Falls brewery among businesses suing Montana secretary of state over duplicate charges

Backslope Brewing of Columbia Falls is one of seven small businesses suing Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, alleging her office overcharged many businesses for various fees and then declined to issue refunds unless requested in writing.

The class-action complaint, filed in Lewis and Clark County District Court by the nonprofit law firm Upper Seven Law, alleges that when businesses and individuals log onto the secretary of state's website to pay business licensing fees, or fees for services such as lien searches, "they are sometimes charged twice or more without their knowledge...